The DreamClan Challenge
by The Broken Mask
Summary: This is the story I wrote for my old Warriors RP forum, DreamClan.


**Challenge One for DreamClan.**  
 **Two brothers fall in love with the same she cat, one because of her looks, one because of her personality. The she cat chooses the one who loves her for her personality, but why?**  
 **Total story words: 2,019**

* * *

Characters:  
Main:

She cat: Cherryblossom - gorgeous tortoiseshell she cat with hazel eyes.

Tom who loves for looks: Pigeonpelt/star - Handsome light grey tom with darker neck and head, faded in black tail and yellow eyes.

Tom who loves for personality: Cindernose/Onefang - Dark grey tom with long fangs, one of which missing, and yellow eyes.

Others:

Former Leader: Shadestar - thin, near-black tom cat with green eyes.

Medicine Cat: Berryleaf - Brown tom with green eyes.

Medicine Cat Apprentice: Silverear - White she cat with a silver ear and yellow eyes.

* * *

"Cherrypaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Cherryblossom. StarClan honours your intelligence and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."  
The Clan cheered as the tortoiseshell she cat licked Shadestar's shoulder as the leader put his head on hers. She was trying desperately not to cough, she had only just recovered from three moons of greencough and now she was worried she was getting it.  
Once the meeting was dismissed, she bounded over to her former mentor, the deputy of RiverClan, Pigeonfur. His warrior brother, Cindernose, was there too.  
Pigeonfur purred.  
"Welcome, Cherryblossom!" He beamed, touching his nose to her head. "I'm so proud of you!"  
"Thank you!" Cherryblossom purred. "When is my first patrol?"  
Piegonfur mrrowed in amusement.  
"In good time."  
"I'm going on a hunting patrol. You're welcome to come?" Cindernose offered.  
Pigeonfur looked mildly annoyed. "You've got enough cats on that patrol, Cindernose. Besides, Cherryblossom ought to see Berryleaf and Silverear."  
Cindernose sighed, dipping his head and padding away to join his patrol. Neither cat was was oblivious to the others feelings for Cherryblossom, and both were doing their best to make sure they became her mate.

The fateful day came.  
It started with an argument over a border. Which then turned into a skirmish. Both Clans believed the land belonged to them.  
Shadestar ordered an invasion patrol to get the land back, and most of the warriors were on it, including Shadestar, Pigeonfur, Cindernose and Cherryblossom.  
The RiverClan patrol were swiftly met by a ShadowClan patrol.  
Pigeonfur and Shadestar lead into the battle, quickly latching onto enemy warriors, fighting with all the might they had.  
However, a shrill yowl echoed in Pigeonfur's ears - Cherryblossom was fighting two older apprentices, and was getting shredded.  
Another yowl echoed in Pigeonfur's ears - the elderly Shadestar was trapped by a young warrior, and he was on his last life.  
Pigeonfur went to help Cherryblossom - she might choose him as a mate if he was Leader.  
Cindernose watched his brother desert Shadestar. It was too late for any cat to help. Shadestar had lost his last life. Cindernose yowled in rage, rushing over and sinking his jaws into the warrior's side, letting him go only once the warrior fled.  
Finally, RiverClan pushed ShadowClan back and into retreat. But it didn't bring back Shadestar.

A few days later, after Pigeonstar gained his nine lives, Cindernose ended up on a patrol with Cherryblossom along the ShadowClan border. The other cats in the patrol jumped ahead, leaving the two alone.  
Cherryblossom sat down by the base of an unusual tree. Most of it was dead, only the upper few branches were covered in delicate pink flowers.  
"I was named after those, you know." Cherryblossom mewed as Cindernose padded up beside her.  
"Very pretty." Cindernose left it open.  
"I would love more than anything to have one." She sighed, watching the breeze rustle among them.  
Cindernose didn't reply. He was thinking, trying to find a route up that tree. He was going to get one of those flowers for her - even if it killed him.

That night, however, he didn't get chance. Pigeonstar summoned him to his.  
"So, Cindernose. I gather you are still interested in my beautiful Cherryblossom." Pigeonstar mewed, sitting upright in his nest.  
"She isn't your mate, Pigeonstar." Cindernose calmly replied, causing his brother to chuckle.  
"Not yet, but soon. Who would you rather have for a mate - the leader or just another warrior?"  
"Depends. If the leader just loved me for my looks and the warrior for my personality, then I'd become mates with the warrior." Cindernose gave him a sharp stare, reinforcing his point.  
"I love her for her personality too, mousebrain." Pigeonstar replied, but, he was lying. He didn't care about Cherryblossom's personality, just her looks, like a trophy-mate. Cindernose was different. He loved her intelligence, her kindness, her energy.  
"Prove it."  
"I have no time for your games, Cindernose. We're not kits anymore. You are dismissed."  
Cindernose had to leave. He now had to get that flower more desperately than ever.

But, it was too late. Pigeonstar seemed to have done everything in his power to keep Cindernose and Cherryblossom apart, and keep Cherryblossom close to him. Only a claw moon later, the two became mates, and, not long after, Cherryblossom became pregnant.  
She was always sat by his side, or as close as she could get.  
"Cherryblossom, he doesn't love you for you! He loves you just because of your looks!" Cindernose tried to tell her.  
"Stop it! Pigeonstar loves me for me! Now let me rest!" Cherryblossom angrily mewed. Cindernose left the nursery, knowing what he had to do.

Cindernose got to the pink-flowered tree, a determined look across his face. He was getting one of them for her, then maybe she would see the truth.  
Seen as RiverClan cats don't climb trees, this was made more difficult.  
Cindernose jumped up, sinking his claws into the trunk bark, pulling himself onto a branch.  
He leapt onto a nearby branch, hanging on by his claws and pulling himself up.  
He eyed a branch higher up, where he could just about reach one of the flowers. He leapt up, and got on, hearing it creak under his weight. Regardless, Cindernose reached up, managing to nip a flower off. However, it was also this second that the branch beneath him gave way, letting the top plummet to the ground.  
Still holding the flower, Cindernose managed to get his claws on a slippery branch. He sunk his fangs into the branch, trying to pull himself up, but, he lost claw grip, hanging by his fangs alone. One fang lost grip, but the other was still deep in the wood, and it was Cindernose who was giving way first.  
Finally, Cindernose fell to the ground, landing safely on his paws.  
Defeated, he limped back to camp, his claws wrenched, one fang less than when he arrived.

He limped into the medicine cats' den, and Silverear looked up in alarm.  
"Cindernose! What happened?" She mewed, causing Berryleaf to come running.  
"I-I fought off a rouge that was skulking towards camp."  
"Then how did you loose your fang?" Berryleaf calmly asked.  
"I tried to get a hold of his shoulder, but, it swung a paw right out at my jaw. My fang is still lodged in its shoulder."  
The two medicine cats laid him down and started applying all the herbs they knew.

Cindernose woke up the next morning as Pigeonstar came in.  
"Cindernose? What's this I hear about a rouge?"  
"I-There was a rouge last night. I fought him off, but, I lost my fang." Cindernose replied, running his tongue over where his fang used to be.  
"Then why did no one else know?"  
"It was outside of camp. At night."  
"Why were you awake at that time?"  
"I heard something in camp. I got up to investigate and the rouge was starting to head towards your den. But, he saw me, and began leaving, but, I followed him to make sure that he didn't come back. We broke out into a fight several fox lengths from camp, but, I easily made him run."  
"So, why are you missing a fang?"  
"I tried to get hold of his shoulder, but, he swiped a heavy paw at my upper jaw, landing right on the fang. Its probably still in his shoulder."  
Pigeonstar waited until the medicine cats were out of earshot before smirking.  
"You make creative lies, Cindernose. But I can see right through you. Cherryblossom is mine."  
With that, he turned and left.

That afternoon, Cherryblossom returned to her namesake tree. As she padded up, she looked at the upper branches.  
Suddenly, she stepped on something. Something wet. And foul smelling.  
She lifted her paw, finding a flower there, covered in blood. Nearby, a branch was on the ground that wasn't there before.  
She sniffed at the stale scent.  
 _Cindernose?_

Cindernose could only watched as time went on and Cherryblossom's belly swelled.  
One night, Pigeonstar called a Clan meeting, motioning for Cindernose to come forward.  
"Cats of StarClan, you know each cat by name. I ask you now to remove the name of the cat before you because it no longer represents what he stands for. With the approval of StarClan, I name you Onefang, in honour of your courageousness."  
"Onefang! Onefang!"  
Onefang flinched a little, beginning to regret saying that he had chased a rouge off RiverClan territory. He ran his tongue over the scar along his upper lip.  
Once the meeting was over, Onefang was surprised to see Pigeonstar approach him.  
"Onefang. My den, now please." Pigeonstar mewed.  
Surprised, Onefang followed the leader to his den.  
"Onefang, do you still love Cherryblossom?" Pigeonstar asked.  
Onefang sighed, his silence answer enough.  
"If you stop now, and if one of our kits is grey, I will name it Cinderkit after you."  
Onefang looked at his brother in shock.  
"Well, do you agree?" Pigeonstar prompted. "To stop loving my mate?"  
"Its not that simple, Pigeonstar. I can't stop loving her like just like that. Her kindness, her intelligence, her energy. She's most beautiful cat I know." Onefang sighed.  
"Beautiful yes. Breathtakingly beautiful."  
"Is that it? You only love Cherryblossom because she's beautiful?"  
"Yes, Onefang, you know it, I know it, only she doesn't seem to kn-"

"Is that really true, Pigeonstar?"  
The brothers turned to the entrance where the heavily pregnant tortoiseshell was stood.  
"Do you really only love me because of my looks?" Cherryblossom asked.  
Pigeonstar looked very guilty, and Cherryblossom instantly knew.  
"I loved you so much, Pigeonstar. All your little habits, all your little sayings and the way you made me feel. You don't love me for me, do you?"  
"But, Cherry-"  
"But nothing!" The queen cut Pigeonstar off. "I can't be mates with someone who doesn't love me for me. I'm sorry, Pigeonstar."  
The queen turned and left.  
"Oh, Pigeonstar..." Onefang padded towards his brother.  
"Onefang, please. I need to be alone." Pigeonstar looked devastated.  
"Very well." Onefang turned and left.  
However, he went straight to the nursery.  
"Cherryblossom?"  
The tortoiseshell looked up at him. "Oh, hello, Onefang."  
Onefang padded in. "Cherryblossom, I'm sorry..."  
"No, Onefang. I should be saying sorry to you. You were right, you tried to warn me, but, I was blind."  
"So was every other cat. Cherryblossom, you're the most intelligent cat I know."  
"Thank you, Onefang."

Onefang found himself at the bottom of the tree again the next morning, flexing his claws in anticipation. He was going to do it this time. It felt like the power of StarClan rippled through his muscles as he got onto the first branch. He looked up, taking a safer route up the tree this time. He easily nipped flowers off the branch.  
He was extremely careful coming down, having only his claws to hold him. StarClan must have looked down on him as he returned to the ground without a scratch.

The tom raced back to camp, padding quickly into the nursery, where Cherryblossom was sleeping.  
He hid the flower in one corner, padding out quickly to get a fish and returning as she woke up  
"Onefang...? What are you doing here?" She groggily mewed.  
"I brought you this." Onefang nudged the fish to her. "And, I got this for you." Onefang put the delicate, pink flower at her front paws, and her eyes popped wide.  
"Is this...?"  
"A cherry blossom, yes." Onefang replied. "I lost my fang the first time I tried to get one for you from that tree."  
"What about that rouge?"  
"I made it up. I couldn't tell them that the branch had fallen from beneath me."  
"You risked your life? For me?"  
"Yes. So you could get the one thing you wanted more than anything."  
"But, why?"  
"Because I love you, Cherryblossom. For you. Your tireless energy, the endless kindness you show to others, to those who need it most of all, your intelligence and thoughtfulness."  
Cherryblossom looked at him, before smiling.  
"I love you too, Onefang."


End file.
